# FreeScout — Free Self-Hosted HelpScout Alternative
[![PHP version](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/badges/PHP-7.0%2B-blue.svg)](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout#requirements) [![Laravel version](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/badges/Laravel-5.5-blue.svg)](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout#requirements)
[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/freescout-helpdesk/freescout.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/freescout-helpdesk/freescout) [![Join the chat at https://gitter.im/freescout-helpdesk/Lobby](https://badges.gitter.im/freescout-helpdesk/Lobby.svg)](https://gitter.im/freescout-helpdesk/Lobby?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge) [![HitCount](http://hits.dwyl.io/freescout-helpdesk/freescout.svg)](http://hits.dwyl.io/freescout-helpdesk/freescout)
**FreeScout** is a free open source help desk and shared inbox written in PHP7 (Laravel 5.5 framework), full analog of HelpScout. As you may know, Help Scout on **November 29, 2018** will force all free accounts to upgrade to the paid plan, so developing a free open source alternative is kind of urgent.
FreeScout is being developed from scratch and is not using any copyrighted Help Scout materials to comply with GitHub's [DMCA Policy](https://help.github.com/articles/dmca-takedown-policy/) (trademark, logos, icons, CSS, JS, HTML files are copyrighted; idea, look and feel cannot be copyrighted). FreeScout is currently under active development. If you would like to join efforts, just fork [this repo](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout) and follow [instructions](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/wiki/Development-Guide).
![Dashboard](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/screenshots/dashboard.png)
## Table of Contents
* [Features](#features)
* [Requirements](#requirements)
* [Release Date](#release-date)
* [Documentation](#documentation)
* [Installation Guide](#installation-guide)
* [Development Guide](#development-guide)
* [Todo List](#todo-list)
* [Screenshots](#screenshots)
## Features
![FreeScout](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/master/public/img/banner.png)
[FreeScout](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout) will provide the same set of features as a HelpScout: help desk tools, email management and analytics. **FreeScout** will also provide some extra features:
* 100% Mobile-friendly.
* Multilingual.
* Starred conversations.
* Sending messages to multiple customers at once.
* Pasting screenshots from the clipboard into the reply area.
* Dragging images into the reply area.
Need anything else? Suggest features [here](https://feedback.userreport.com/25a3cb5f-e4bd-4470-b6f3-79fcfaa8e90f/#ideas/popular)
## Requirements
FreeScout is a pure PHP/MySQL application, so it can be easily deployed even on a shared hosting.
* Nginx / Apache / IIS
* PHP 7.0+
* MySQL/MariaDB 5.0+
* Git (optional, for easier upgrading in the future)
## Release Date
If you would like to be notified by email when **FreeScout** will be released, you can subscribe [here](https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=freescout)
## Documentation
[Documentation](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/wiki)
## Installation Guide
[Installation Guide](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/wiki/Installation-Guide)
## Development Guide
[Development Guide](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/wiki/Development-Guide)
## Todo List
[Todo List](https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout/projects/1)
## Screenshots
Login page:
![Login page](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/screenshots/freescout-login.png)
Conversations list:
![Conversations](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/screenshots/conversations.png)
Conversation:
![Conversation](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/screenshots/conversation.png)
Mailbox connection settings page:
![Mailbox connection settings page](https://freescout-helpdesk.github.io/img/screenshots/mailbox-connection.png)